Do you monitor what people are saying about your industry online? Do you use that information to your benefit?

Social listening (also called media monitoring) is about spending time online and on social platforms to see what’s being said about areas that have to do with your industry.

Follow other businesses that are similar to yours. Keep up with industry-specific hashtags, as well as trending topics to see what people are talking about. Listen to what your own contacts are talking about. Offer helpful advice to challenges they are facing. Then, work these topics in to your marketing strategies.

Here’s an example of someone who mastered social listening:

Last week, we hit a milestone here at Buttonwood Farm. Colton, our youngest, submitted his first college application. I shared the photo on my personal Facebook page.

An acquaintance of mine congratulated me and reminisced with me about what a cutie he was when he was a baby (he really was -check out those long blonde curls).

Caryn mentioned that she and her husband took their daughter on an amazing cruise in honor of her graduation. It was a crazy good price and they had a great time. Caryn asked, would I like her to send me the info in case we wanted to take Colton? Turns out that Caryn represents the cruise program. Caryn was socially listening! If we were of the mind to take a cruise, you can be sure I’d jump on this. Caryn became a trusted resource in that area. In fact, I never even would have thought of a cruise had she not planted the idea in my mind. (Let me know if you are interested in the cruise, I’ll send you the flyer….it’s a really good deal!)